Remastered Melodies From Mars

[beerwolf]

Don't you think he would of grown out of lying by now? That's why I think it exists anyway.

 

Perhaps nowadays the lies are replaced by fictional characters and stories.

[goDel]

I see now on the insert for AB4 that, indeed, CAT034 is listed as "Analogue Bubblebath 5" coming soon. Odd that "cuckoo" is on both volumes then. Mastering error? Maybe that's why it was scrapped, who knows.

 

I think the idea is that the tracklist we now know of as ab5 wouldn't be the definite tracklist if it ever were actually released.

[Joyrex]

The chronology of Aphex tracks is frustratingly elusive.. with the exception of I Care Because you do, where every track is dated.

 

It's not totally clear when the MFM tracks were made, but I'd say it's fairly certain that they are part of the same body of work as those on Analogue Bubblebath 5, the sound of those two albums is pretty much interchangeable.

 

My thought has always been that AB5 (as well as MFM) were scrapped for public release in favour of the Hangable Auto Bulb sound he had been developing in 94-95, giving an approx date for AB5 and MFM as 1993 to early 1994

 

One thing I don't quite understand about AB5 though, is that it has a track from AB4, the "cuckoo" track. Why would that be, if it was pressed afterwards? The Rephlex catalogue numbers would indicate a later release (AB4 - 019, AB5 - 034) but looking at them all the cat nos. aren't always in chronological order.

 

Three questions come out of this, I suppose:

 

Did anyone ever see AB5 in the wild before the release of AB4?

 

and..

 

Might it be that AB5 was actually scrapped in favour of "I Care Because You Do"?

 

and..

 

Has AB5 ever actually been officially acknowledged as "Analogue Bubblebath 5"?

 

From the cassette I was given, MFM was a demo tape given to a few WARP and Rephlex bods that Richard was shopping around - it was after ICBYD, but before RDJA and HAB/ABB5 - as mentioned before, this is where he started to experiment more with software and eschew the mostly hardware setup he had from 1990-1994 that produced most of the ICBYD stuff.

 

ABB5 was a white label test pressing and was never officially released, but a few copies got sent around, eventually ending up in the hands of collectors who were willing to let it go. ABB5 had nothing to do with the release of ICBYD, and while some of ABB5's tracks might have originated from the ICBYD era, Richard always kept his tracks separated by alias - so you wouldn't usually see "Aphex Twin" material interspersed with "AFX" stuff. Melodies From Mars as always been identified as an "Aphex Twin" release.

 

Rephlex (for what it's worth) acknowledged ABB5 on discographies and listings, but never released it, and the "cuckoo" track eventually ended up on ABB4.

 

Now, the other interesting proto-releases that never saw the light of day are the "Mind The Gap" song, and the Mr. Men stuff (yes, Richard Hargreaves' Mr. Men) in the vein of Power Pill: Pac Man.

[Ivan Ooze]

i wish i had this album

[marf]

there are instances on melodies from mars where he's using cheesy sounds intentionally, like preset organ patches and stuff like that.

To me it sounds like he's using mostly software to make it, which i think was a similar way he worked on Come to Daddy and RDJ album and maybe Windowlicker. IT's one of his only albums where i don't hear a tell-tale analog synth sound anywhere

Id be suprised, and there is no way windowlicker was all computer. I know the bass was an mk-80 in unison mode. dont believe the hype. We love computers cause they are egalitarian, but he uses gear. MFM sounds warm and thick to me. the opposite of software, especially from THAT time period.

[marf]

MFM sounds warm and thick to me. the opposite of software, especially from THAT time period.

[awepittance]

well, there were and are still ways to make something sound 'thick' on just a computer especially in the hands of a master.
I'm not sure when he started using mostly software, but i think perhap come to daddy was made using mostly computers. I'm sure he did a lot of sampling and one-shot stuff from his gear for it, but take 'Funny Little Man' for example, it sounds very softsynth to me. It's true that around MFM and Richard D James album computers really weren't even powerful enough to make most of that stuff, besides maybe using soundfonts. Even software samplers wouldn't have been able to do stuff like that all in real-time.

[marf]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb9L6JotWoE

 

 

[marf]

Sorry I killed the thread

[marf]

i was day dreaming today and realized what "melodies from mars" was all about. All the synths in that album have a very kooky vibrato like an old theramin which was used on scii fi films in the 50's

 

or im wrong

[Lucas]

Melodies From Mars is one of his albums I'm still listening to on a regular basis. I find it to be one of his most charming works, so simple but so strong.

[Joyrex]

i was day dreaming today and realized what "melodies from mars" was all about. All the synths in that album have a very kooky vibrato like an old theramin which was used on scii fi films in the 50's

 

or im wrong

You might be right - I always meant to ask Richard why he named it that...

[Hugh Mughnus]

 

i was day dreaming today and realized what "melodies from mars" was all about. All the synths in that album have a very kooky vibrato like an old theramin which was used on scii fi films in the 50's

 

or im wrong

You might be right - I always meant to ask Richard why he named it that...

 

 

I gathered the same thing as marf actually. =P

[zlemflolia]

 

i was day dreaming today and realized what "melodies from mars" was all about. All the synths in that album have a very kooky vibrato like an old theramin which was used on scii fi films in the 50's

 

or im wrong

You might be right - I always meant to ask Richard why he named it that...

 

I already asked him, he said "That's a quite good estimate you're on the right track"

[marf]

was this his only themed album?

[Lane Visitor]

was this his only themed album?

 

Saw II is kinda themed, i think - as far as the unofficial titles based on images.. grass, mold, windchimes, cliffs, etc.. a nature theme?

 

seemed to be sub themes running between 96-97 releases regarding family.. boy/girl.. come to daddy... pappy mix... kids voices... milkman's wive's ...

[kinski]

i was day dreaming today and realized what "melodies from mars" was all about. All the synths in that album have a very kooky vibrato like an old theramin which was used on scii fi films in the 50's

 

or im wrong

i always saw it as a nod to delia derbyshire and bbc radiophonic workshop experiments (doctor who stuff, etc) rather than game music as it is commonly described.

[Guest cult fiction]

Over time, I've come to accept more and more that most if not all of the Steinvord tunes are RDJ. Back in 2008 it seemed plausible that an imposter could have pulled off Untitled and Untitled 9, but in the ensuing years I think it's clearer than ever that nobody else could have done those tracks.

 

Given that, I think Untitled 97 is very interesting. It was released long before RDJ talked about a MFM re-release. While the opening melody isn't from any particular MFM song, it IS exactly how I might imagine an MFM remake to sound.

[B1000]

RDJ's attempt at making kid-friendly tunes . perfect & bubbly sounding

[Hugh Mughnus]

Over time, I've come to accept more and more that most if not all of the Steinvord tunes are RDJ. Back in 2008 it seemed plausible that an imposter could have pulled off Untitled and Untitled 9, but in the ensuing years I think it's clearer than ever that nobody else could have done those tracks.

 

Given that, I think Untitled 97 is very interesting. It was released long before RDJ talked about a MFM re-release. While the opening melody isn't from any particular MFM song, it IS exactly how I might imagine an MFM remake to sound.

 

I thought we all agreed tracks 1-3 were Rich and 4-5 were Tom!

 

RE Untitled 97 and it being MFM/ish.... it sounds kind of sinister to me compared to MFM.

[marf]

 

 

i was day dreaming today and realized what "melodies from mars" was all about. All the synths in that album have a very kooky vibrato like an old theramin which was used on scii fi films in the 50's

 

or im wrong

You might be right - I always meant to ask Richard why he named it that...

 

I already asked him, he said "That's a quite good estimate you're on the right track"

 

 

Really? Are you joking?

 

RDJ's attempt at making kid-friendly tunes . perfect & bubbly sounding

 

 

Yes, id love to play it for my nephew :-)

[Guest cult fiction]

 

Over time, I've come to accept more and more that most if not all of the Steinvord tunes are RDJ. Back in 2008 it seemed plausible that an imposter could have pulled off Untitled and Untitled 9, but in the ensuing years I think it's clearer than ever that nobody else could have done those tracks.

 

Given that, I think Untitled 97 is very interesting. It was released long before RDJ talked about a MFM re-release. While the opening melody isn't from any particular MFM song, it IS exactly how I might imagine an MFM remake to sound.

 

I thought we all agreed tracks 1-3 were Rich and 4-5 were Tom!

 

RE Untitled 97 and it being MFM/ish.... it sounds kind of sinister to me compared to MFM.

 

 

The second half sure, but the intro is total MFM. It's a bit like MFM-era richard splitting a track with post-Druqks richard.

[B1000]

RDJ's attempt at making kid-friendly tunes . perfect & bubbly sounding

 

 

Yes, id love to play it for my nephew :-)

 

 

Ha, yep that is what I was thinking as I wrote it! I'm going to play MFM for him next time he's round :)

[Hugh Mughnus]

 

 

Over time, I've come to accept more and more that most if not all of the Steinvord tunes are RDJ. Back in 2008 it seemed plausible that an imposter could have pulled off Untitled and Untitled 9, but in the ensuing years I think it's clearer than ever that nobody else could have done those tracks.

 

Given that, I think Untitled 97 is very interesting. It was released long before RDJ talked about a MFM re-release. While the opening melody isn't from any particular MFM song, it IS exactly how I might imagine an MFM remake to sound.

 

I thought we all agreed tracks 1-3 were Rich and 4-5 were Tom!

 

RE Untitled 97 and it being MFM/ish.... it sounds kind of sinister to me compared to MFM.

 

 

The second half sure, but the intro is total MFM. It's a bit like MFM-era richard splitting a track with post-Druqks richard.

 

 

Yes, I agree with this for sure! I would go for a whole album with this vibe actually.

[kinski]

so anyway, i spent last 3 days internetless in the woods listening to this and i have to say - i love how little sequencers there seem to be in this. there's tons of little flubs which makes me think richard tried to make an album 'the old way' and play it mostly by hand. it's cute.